NutritionalStatus of Patientswith Acquired ImmunodeficiencySyndrome

Nutritionalstatusmay be an importantfactorin the prognosis of morbidityand mortality.We assessedthe nutritional status of individualsseropositivefor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (as confirmed by Western blot) and of patients with AIDS,by determining the concentration In serum of total protein,albumin,preaIbumin(transthyretln),and retinol-bind-ing protein. HIV-seroposltlveIndMduals showed no signifi-cantdifferencefrom normal volunteers In values for prealbu-mm, albumin, and retinol-binding protein. Patients with AIDS showed significantlysmaller prealbumln and albumin con-centrations than did normal and HIV-posftlve indMduals. There was no significantdifference In the concentration of retinol-bindingproteinamong the three groups. The concen-trationof total serum proteinwas significantlygreater In HIV-positiveindMduals and in patients with.ios than In norma